I think I bought the wrong type of leather to practice on? Or....

[TestTube]

Or maybe I just have really crappy tools? I don't know...(To be clear, I am an absolute newbie, haven't crafted a single project yet)

Here is the leather I bought:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/8-lbs-Upholstery-Cow-Hide-Large-Scrap-Leather-Pieces-Mixed-Color-SizeandWeight/352961148768?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

And here are the tools I currently have:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0755D1T7D/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

So...I'm even having trouble cutting the leather in a straight line (using a utility knife with a sharp blade) because this leather is incredibly flimsy (though I'll admit I have learned to work around this problem but not to the point where I would be confident in cutting into some top quality veg tanned leather)

I also can't get a straight line with the groover because once again, the leather is too flimsy, or my technique is terrible. The "guide" that is supposed to line up how far in I want the groove keeps pushing on the leather and bending it, making it impossible to get a straight line.

^I have the same problem with the edge beveler (skiver?). The leather is too flimsy, or my technique is terrible, or the tool isn't sharp enough...

I can't know any of this because I have no shop that I can go to near me to inspect leather before I buy it, and I have no leatherworking friends IRL that can test their skills on the leather that I purchased. The videos I watch on tutorials only show them working on the top shelf stuff...

https://imgur.com/a/7h9LrOD

^ That is a picture of just one of the pieces of leather I bought, which makes me really sad because there are about 10-12 pieces almost that size of all different colors for less than 30$. More than I would ever need to practice on for next to nothing price-wise.

SO...What should I do here?

Did I buy the wrong type of leather? Are my tools garbage? Is my technique terrible (well I'm sure it is), a mixture of the 3? Something else?

I need some help here because I really want to get into this, I have ideas for a ton of different projects I want to do but I really don't want to break the bank just practicing, or wasting my time and money and then end up giving up.

Thanks in advance for any responses. =)

Edited April 5, 2020 by TestTube

[battlemunky]

That isn't the wrong leather per se, but it is the wrong leather for trying to do with it what you are trying to do with it.

It appears to be chrome tanned and thin. Use scissors to cut it or a roller blade or round knife. You can still use it for your first projects but you aren't going to get it to burnish or carve. A small pouch, perhaps a few other bits and baubles depending on how thick it is.

I'd avoid eBay leather until you can identify leather. 27 bucks for that is a bit steep IMO when you could've gotten some veg tan shipped for not too much more.

Keep playing around with it though, you will learn some stuff with it still so it isn't a waste or anything.

[TestTube]

10 minutes ago, battlemunky said:

That isn't the wrong leather per se, but it is the wrong leather for trying to do with it what you are trying to do with it.

It appears to be chrome tanned and thin. Use scissors to cut it or a roller blade or round knife. You can still use it for your first projects but you aren't going to get it to burnish or carve. A small pouch, perhaps a few other bits and baubles depending on how thick it is.

I'd avoid eBay leather until you can identify leather. 27 bucks for that is a bit steep IMO when you could've gotten some veg tan shipped for not too much more.

Keep playing around with it though, you will learn some stuff with it still so it isn't a waste or anything.

I actually thought this was quite cheap, 10-12 pieces that are about that size for 28.74$? I dunno heh.

Anyways, what kind of projects should I be looking to use this type of leather for, in order to practice?

And also, what kind of leather (and how much of it) would you suggest I get to practice for what I am trying to do? I supposed that I know (or, at least I should say I think) I need some vegetable tanned leather because I want to be able to stamp it, dye it if need be, I want it to be a bit stiffer, etc.

^I just don't know where I would find this without breaking the bank. Is there a such thing as lower quality (and thus lower cost), bulk vegetable-tanned leather like I described?

[Grumpymann]

I think what you are looking for is a "vegetable tan" or "veg tan" you can get a bundle of scraps to give it try any place that sells leather.  Tandy, s and t, Springfield,  weaver leather I would give frog jelly a shout.

Edited April 5, 2020 by Grumpymann

[chrisash]

There are two basic types of leather Chrome tanned normally used for clothing and furniture and often very flexible and Vegetable tanned (veg tan) leather which is used for a far wider range of items, including Belts, Wallets, Camera cases, Horse tack and so on, and also used for Tooling where you basically engrave leather using hand tools or stamps

I would suggest you start with a single shoulder of Veg Tan with a thickness on about 1-1.2 mm which you can use for wallets and other small items to learn on

Veg tan leather can be very thin say 0.6 mm pig skin for lining bags etc to very thick for traditional shoe soles. It can also be very soft and bend easily or stiff like thick cardboard so the best way to buy if you have a dealer near you is to look and feel before buying

Some dealers also offer economy leather which is far cheaper and often used for training, this often will have marks or bites that make it unsuitable for first class presentation but great to learn on

Hope this helps

[zuludog]

Here are some hopefully helpful comments, though not necessarily in perfect flowing English!

If you've bought mixed upholstery leather it's probably quite thin, say around 1mm; and also flexible, as you've discovered. That means the best you can use it for is small items like key fobs, card holders, wallets, or perhaps pouches, covers, and slips for small items like Swiss Army Knives, pens, torches/flashlights, craft knives

It won't be easy to do edge bevelling as it's so thin & flexible, so the easiest thing would be to leave that and just do a bit of gentle sanding and burnishing when you've sewn up the item

Neither would you be able to do stitch grooving. A couple of years ago I went to a lecture & demonstration by Nigel Armitage, and on his recommendation I no longer use a stitch groover, whatever the thickness of the leather. Instead I mark the line of the stitching with dividers; this is sufficient and my stitching has improved. I got my dividers from the secondhand stall at my local market for about £3

I have also changed to John James needles, which are very good yet still quite cheap You want John James Saddler's Harness Needles item code L3912 in sizes 002 and 004, which will cover most things. Get them from Rocky Mountain Leather supply or Search Google

I can't really tell from the picture, but the thread in your kit looks a bit thick, especially for the thin leather you have at the moment. Try Twist braided polyester thread also from RMLS. 

For cutting leather you need a steel ruler, which does 3 things - measuring (obviously), a straight edge for cutting against, and a clamp by holding it down firmly to prevent the leather from moving and stretching

For cutting thin leather use a rotary cutter; Olfa and Fiskars are the best known but there are others. Or heavy scissors. These tools are available from Tandy, or Search accordingly. But you can do a lot of good work with a utility knife, especially if you sharpen and strop the blade, even new ones. This reduces and polishes the shoulder of the bevel, and it slides through even better

Yes, the YT videos do use good stuff, but nevertheless there is a lot of advice & information on there. As you watch on particular items you'll see the sort of tools & techniques that are used.These two channels are often recommended - Ian Atkinson and Nigel Armitage,

Ian has a video on tools for beginners leatherwork which includes using a rotary cutter, but look at other similar videos as well. Nigel has a video on making a simple wallet which has a lot of advice & explanation

the cheapest leather is bellies or splits. Not good enough for top class work or large items, but perfectly good enough for learning; in fact many of the cheaper shop bought wallets are made from splits

Make a strop from oddments of wood & leather; this is just about the easiest piece of leatherwork you can do, and you'll use it again & again Search YT and the sharpening section on this forum; treat yourself to some proper honing/stropping compound; it's not that expensive and a small bar will last for ages

" I have ideas for a ton of different projects I want to do" -- so why don't you tell us, then we can advise you accordingly?

You will need a self healing cutting mat, get the biggest you can manage

Edited April 5, 2020 by zuludog

[TestTube]

19 hours ago, zuludog said:

" I have ideas for a ton of different projects I want to do" -- so why don't you tell us, then we can advise you accordingly?

Okay, so, at the moment I want to make:

• (2) Journal cover(s) for these: http://www.nanamipaper.com/products/copy-of-seven-seas-standard-a5-blank-journal.html#reviews <- This is what actually got me started looking into leatherworking. I wanted to buy a cover for this notebook and on this same website they do sell several different brands of leather covers for this notebook but the cheapest one is 76.00$ and the most expensive is 83.00$ (USD). Both aren't even 2 square feet of leather total and are nothing special. Certainly they are high-quality leather but I mean no design, nothing, just a cover. I knew that I could make something better (in time) AND for cheaper AND feel more proud about it.
• Individualized pen cases (I'm a fountain pen collector)
• A larger case for 10 or 20 pens.
• A cover for my Kindle (Ebook reader).
• A new wallet
• A case for my laptop

And other oddities: bookmarks, tassels, and I also want to use this as a way to give out gifts to people, but that's quite vague.

^So there you go. That's generally what I want to make at the moment. *Especially* the journal covers.

I *think* what I need to buy is 2-3oz vegetable-tanned leather. Hell, I'm almost ready to buy an entire side of it for 130$, but I have a feeling that would be a bad idea with 0 experience lol. 

I did just order a bunch of other, higher quality tools though, which has me feeling a bit weird considering I haven't made anything yet, but I'm determined to have it pay off eventually.

Edited April 6, 2020 by TestTube

[Frodo]

 

here is a chart that might be useful 

[TestTube]

I saw that same chart which says 7oz but then I also saw another chart with different information (7oz is the highest suggestion I've seen so far) and also it's posted on nanamipaper's website that the covers that they sell that I was referring in the previous post are made with 2-3oz leather.

 ^ The top comment on this reddit post also suggests 2-3oz leather (Though someone else on there says they use 5oz, I'm so confused)

So I've got no idea what is right...

On another note though...let's say that 2-3oz leather is the proper size for a notebook cover after all. On Tandyleather.com the exact leather I want the most is offered only in 3-4oz...do you think it *really* will matter *that* much if I just go with that instead?

And if that IS okay, would it mess with my ability to make any of the other projects I want to make?

Edited April 6, 2020 by TestTube

[zuludog]

OK, here are some more rambling comments -

Firstly, there is a helluva lot of information on YouTube. Play around with the Search Box by putting in similar entries & categories then following the links & prompts. For example - 'making a leather journal cover'; 'making a leather notebook cover'; 'making leather book covers' There will be several videos

Similarly Search for making leather laptop/kindle/ipad/tablet/macbook covers/pen covers/pen slips/ pen rolls/card holders/wallets and there will be lots of videos. Even if they are not exactly for the item you have, the methods of construction, materials, and designs will be very similar. you just have to watch as many as you have the stamina for!

The bag of sample leather that you already have would probably be OK for pen covers, card holders, and possibly wallets. You can mix up different colours, thicknesses, and types of leather, which can be attractive. If nothing else, it will be practice, and you've gotta start somewhere

I don't know much about Nanami journals, as I don't use that sort of notebook but it seems that there are several very similar loose leaf journals on the market - Field Notes, Moleskine, Midori etc. I'm guessing that they are all made in the same way, so look at these makes as well as the one you want. You will notice that some of them incorporate a pen holder

Ian Atkinson has two good videos which look comprehensive, detailed, and straightforward to me --- Leather Build Along #3 Moleskine Cover and Leather Build Along #7 Midori Style Notebook cover

My suggestions for leather are 1,5mm  thick for pen covers & wallets,; and 2,0mm thick for notebook covers, though you can have a very slight variation. I'm afraid it's one of those things that you just have to find out for yourself

Some suppliers sell journal cover kits, which are cheaper than ready made, but easier than doing it all yourself. shop around on Google and see what you think

But before you buy anything Search YT for 'choosing leather'. There are several videos, and I think they would be useful. Phone up the suppliers and ask their advice ; after all they know their products, and it is in their own interests to help you. They may also have some cheap leather that they don't bother listing on their websites, for you to practice on

Yes, handing out bookmarks and key fobs is a good idea, and put the word around friends, neighbours, work colleagues and so on. You never know, someone might just have their Grandfather's old tools stashed away in the loft, just waiting for a good home. And when you feel you're good enough, it might bring you requests and commissions

To answer you last question, I think that 2-3oz is a bit thin for a journal cover; I'd go for 3-4oz. You could till make pen slips and card holders with 3-4oz, but it might be a bit thick for a wallet with lots of pockets

All these comments are my opinions. Before you go out and buy $100 worth of leather or whatever, leave it a few days or a week to see what other replies you get, and see what others have to say

Edited April 6, 2020 by zuludog